San Jose State runs past UTSA 95-74 in season opener

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for the JB Replay

The embattled UTSA Roadrunners opened with some intensity and stayed with the San Jose State Spartans for the first 14 minutes.

But in the season opener for both teams on Monday afternoon in California, the Spartans closed with a flourish to open an 18-point lead at the intermission, en route to a 95-74 victory at the Provident Credit Union Event Center.

UTSA played without head coach Austin Claunch, who was suspended last week after an arrest for driving while intoxicated.

Nick Bowman is the acting head coach while the university reviews Claunch’s status.

Building the lead to as many as 27 points eight minutes into the second half, the Spartans cruised the rest of the way.

Guards Mekhi Mason and Joey Chammaa, both newcomers, led a San Jose State offense that shot 59 percent from the field.

Mason, a 6-4 guard who played last year at Wake Forest, knocked down five 3-point baskets and scored 28 points. The 5-foot-11 Chammaa, a South Alabama transfer, scored 27.

Forward Robert Vaihola, in his return to the team after playing two years at Minnesota, produced a double double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Spartans had their way on the boards, out-rebounding the Roadrunners, 43-22

For UTSA, transfers Preston Turner from Eastern Illinois and Shey Eberwein (South Dakota) led the team with 15 points each. Isaiah Coleman added 12, while KJ Tenner had 11.

Bowman, working as a head coach for the first time in his career, told Andy Everett on the team’s radio broadcast that the Roadrunners allowed missed shots in the first half to affect their performance.

“We let it affect our attitude, our defense and we just spent too much time in the first half in defensive transition,” he said. “Shots didn’t go in (for) the first time. Preseason we hadn’t dealt with that sort of adversity where we hadn’t made more shots than the other team in the first half. That affected us.”

The Roadrunners shot 29 percent before intermission and 42 percent for the game. From 3-point distance, they started slowly and finished 12 of 34 from behind the stripe.

In the first half, UTSA had multiple good looks from distance, only to see the ball spin in and out of the rim. The Roadrunners finished the half 4 for 18 from deep.

First half

San Jose State shot 53 percent from the field and raced to a 45-27 halftime lead.

Mason scored seven of his 17 first-half points in the last six minutes as the Spartans hit the Roadrunners with a 17-2 run.

Coleman scored nine in the half for the Roadrunners, who were held to 33 percent shooting from the field and 26 percent from three.

UTSA started the game with Tenner at point guard, with Isaiah Watts, JJ Kelly and Turner on the wings. Chinedum Okpukpara started in the post.

Records

UTSA 0-1
San Jose State 1-0

Coming up

VMI at UTSA, Saturday, 4 p.m.

Notable

Twelve UTSA players made the box score, with the 6-foot KJ Tenner leading in minutes played with 31. Isaiah Watts logged 28 minutes and freshman walk on Jayson Peterson 22.

Tenner, a former prep scoring champion in the city of Memphis, connected on five of nine shots and passed for six assists, but he finished -18 in the plus-minus column.

For Watts, the son of former University of Washington star Donald Watts, it was his UTSA debut after transferring in from Maryland of the Big Ten. Previously, he played two years at Washington State.

The grandson of former NBA star Slick Watts hit the first shot of the game, a three, but he finished 2 for 11 from the field and 2 for 8 from distance.

Peterson is the son of former NFL linebacker Julian Peterson. Jayson Peterson, a 6-8 walk on from Brandywine, Md., had four points, a rebound and a steal.

He played the extended minutes with 6-foot-9, 265-pound Ashton Smith on the sidelines, not ready to play yet following 11 months of rehabilitation from Achilles surgery.

Shey Eberwein played well, hitting five for five from the field, including two for two from distance, while passing for four assists. Eberwein, from The Woodlands, played 19 minutes.

Six-foot guard Josiah LeGree came off the bench and showed good instincts in guarding the ball. He had seven points, two assists and four turnovers in 15 minutes.

Little men with big hearts lead UTSA into a new season

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0 Josiah LeGree. UTSA men's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, at the practice facility. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Six-foot Baltimore native Josiah LeGree helped lead Morehead State (Ky.) to the 2026 regular season title in the Ohio Valley Conference. At UTSA, he hopes to play in tandem with his friend, 6-0 KJ Tenner from Memphis. “Me and KJ, we go out there with no fear,” LeGree said. “We only fear God.” – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Not much will be expected from Josiah LeGree, KJ Tenner and the rest of the UTSA Roadrunners when they walk into a California Bay Area gymnasium on Monday afternoon to face the San Jose State Spartans.

Even though the Spartans won only nine games last season, they’ll be favored against the Roadrunners in the season opener scheduled to be played in the school’s Provident Credit Union Event Center.

San Jose State fans likely already know that UTSA head coach Austin Claunch won’t be there, suspended in the wake of his arrest on a driving while intoxicated charge last week.

3 KJ Tenner. UTSA men's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, at the practice facility. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Six foot KJ Tenner grew up in Memphis and led the city in scoring twice at Cordova High School. He’s a transfer from Murray State (Ky.) – Photo by Joe Alexander

On top of that, acting head coach Nick Bowman, a longtime Claunch assistant, will work a game as a head coach for the first time in his career. All this, from a program that produced a tepid 4-25 record a year ago.

What the West Coast fans may not know, though, is the depth of inner confidence that LeGree and Tenner have built in themselves over the years.

All that the San Jose State fans may know about them is that both stand only 6 feet tall and weigh maybe a breakfast taco shy of 170 pounds.

But that is precisely why they shouldn’t be underestimated. Because, as both will explain, the two grew up in the game knowing what it felt like to be bullied by bigger players. To take an elbow to the face.

Or, to wear an ice pack on a swollen lip after a pickup game.

LeGree, a Morehead State (Ky) transfer from Baltimore, laid out the essence of the mentality in an interview last week.

He opened up when a reporter asked him what he would say to counsel young players, perhaps the smallest on their own playground, on what to expect when the bullies start to get physical.

“What if a big guy just lays you out on the playground?” LeGree was asked.

“Go get treatment,” the 6 foot, 165 pounder advised. “You just got to go get it. Treatment’s a good thing for you. Recovery is a key part to having a long stride of your career.

“Getting knocked down by those big guys. Running through them screens. Rebounding with them.

“Getting hit in the mouth. Bloody lips. All of it. That’s the fun of the game. It (comes) with the game. You just got to smile (through it all).”

Tenner, a Memphis native who played last year at Murray State (Ky.), admitted that he once heard the whispers around the pickup games. That he was too small. That he couldn’t play.

“Yes sir, all the time, because height is glamorized over the smaller guys,” said Tenner, who stands 6 feet and 170 pounds. “So of course I heard it a lot. I didn’t (pay) too much attention. I just believed in the Lord and believed in my abilities.

“Because … they may have height, but I have my quickness and my toughness about myself. So, I just always believed in my work and no matter how big a guy was, I still felt I had an edge over him.”

Both players showed off flashes of their abilities in a practice last week.

Tenner, once named as Tennessee Mr. Basketball at Cordova High School for his prolific scoring, received a pass on the right wing during a five-on-five drill.

0 Josiah LeGree. UTSA men's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, at the practice facility. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Josiah LeGree has met fellow Baltimore native Muggsy Bogues and knows members of his family. Bogues, the smallest player in NBA history at 5-3, learned last week that he’ll have his jersey retired by the Charlotte Hornets in February. – Photo by Joe Alexander

With a taller player running at him as he elevated for a jumper, he double clutched to avoid getting blocked, and then swished it from 25 feet.

LeGree exhibited great explosion. In one sequence, he punctuated a fast break drill by throwing down a tomahawk dunk.

Alternately, during a halfcourt drill, he’d move on the dribble to find open space before elevating for an uncontested jumper.

“KJ (Tenner) and Josiah (Legree) are guys who are our primary ballhandlers,” Claunch said in an interview a few weeks ago. “They’ll play together a lot. They’ll play separate a lot. We’re going to play a lot of guys this year.

“So, KJ, (he’s) very steady. Just honestly an everyday guy … He’s got a great basketball IQ. He can really shoot it. You know, changes speeds. Josiah is a great athlete. Can really, really create space with the bounce and create shots for himself and his teammates.

“They’re both elite playmakers and passers. But they kind of do it in different ways.”

UTSA’s roster is stacked with big guards. The likes of Isaiah Watts, Isaiah Coleman, JJ Kelly, Preston Turner, Shey Eberwein and returning player Dorian Hayes are expected to compete for major roles. But LeGree seems to relish the idea that he and Tenner will play in tandem.

“Coach Claunch trusts us on the court together,” he said. “During practices. Even during our scrimmages, he trusts us … Me and KJ, (we’re) going to cause some problems for the American in that backcourt.”

Tenner said he likes to watch smaller guards in the NBA, like Jalen Brunson of the world champion New York Knicks. But he said he has also learned from playing with LeGree in practice.

“Man, I learned that it is truly possible,” he said, “seeing another small guard excel at this level, just seeing how much he believes in himself and how skilled he is. Just seeing a guy that’s doubted just like I am.

“The fact that he can come in every day and have the ultimate belief in himself. He’s just a fun guy to be around every day. Just seeing somebody as like-minded as me saying, we still have an edge.

32 Ashton Smith. UTSA men's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, at the practice facility. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Ashton Smith won’t be available to play against San Jose State, a team spokesman said. Smith is rehabilitating an Achilles injury that he suffered last December at South Dakota. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“He’s a tough cookie. He’s a tough guard, just like me, and it’s fun to play alongside him.”

LeGree issued an animated response to a question about how he reached NCAA Division I, given his physical stature.

“God,” he said. “God is the first thing. That’s the only reason why I am here and why he wake me up every day. But, it’s like, with me and KJ, we go out there with no fear. We only fear God. Like, you can’t be 6 foot going against a 7-footer with fear.

“Like David and Goliath. David took down Goliath, because that was heart over height. Like, you got to have that will and power to go every day knowing you got the disadvantage to the person next to you.

“Me and KJ got big hearts. Like, we go and show you that no matter how tall, how strong you (are), that you’re not going through us or our team. Because, we’re the leaders on the team, and it starts with us.

“Having that mindset all these years, it develops to that killer mindset, where, you step on the floor (and if you’re defending) you’re not going to be able to do anything with me. No matter my size.

“Because I’m going to guard you. I’m going to score on you, and I’m going to have fun while I do it. And also talk mess while I’m doing it.”

Notable

UTSA forward Ashton Smith will not play in the opener, a team spokesman said in a text Friday afternoon.

However, Smith may be getting close to a return after working his way back from an Achilles injury.

The 6-9, 265-pound forward ran hard and even dunked in last Wednesday’s practice. Later, he did not participate in five on five.

The transfer from South Dakota is the grandson of the late Lucious Jackson, a San Marcos native who played on an NBA championship Philadelphia 76ers team with Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s.

3 KJ Tenner. UTSA men's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, at the practice facility. - Photo by Joe Alexander

KJ Tenner started his career at the University of West Virginia before transferring to Murray State (Ky.) He said he moved to UTSA to become a focal point for a program that he believes can evolve into a winner. – Photo by Joe Alexander

San Antonio athletes surge into NCAA Division I women’s basketball

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Mia Hammonds. UTSA women's basketball beat A&M-San Antonio 106-51 in an exhibition game on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Mia Hammonds, a junior guard from Steele, will lead the Roadrunners into a new season looking for a second straight trip to the NCAA tournament. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

San Antonio’s strong presence at the highest level of women’s college basketball is growing.

Based on research by The JB Replay, at least 28 athletes from the San Antonio area have emerged on NCAA Division I rosters this season. Ten of those 28 are on rosters at power conference programs.

The numbers have increased steadily over the past four years.

In 2023-24, the local area had 18 players in Division I, with the number growing to 26, 26 and 28 over the last three seasons, respectively, according to the lists compiled since then.

The new season opens Sunday in Rome when Notre Dame takes on Villanova.

Meanwhile, both San Antonio-based programs will open this week. Incarnate Word plays Tuesday on the road at Tulsa, while UTSA travels to Las Vegas to take on UNLV on Friday night.

Another game of note is scheduled next weekend at the Frost Bank Center, the home of the Spurs, when three former San Antonio high school standouts return to San Antonio.

The game features fourth-ranked Duke (with Arianna Roberson and Bella Flemings) meeting the University of North Texas Mean Green (and Kalysta Martin) on Nov. 8, with tipoff is at 1 p.m.

The following is the list of players from the local area for this season. Most likely, a few names are missing. If so, they will be added as the new information comes to light.

San Antonio area players in NCAA Division I

Averi Aaron, Purdue, 6-1 junior forward from Boerne HS, transfer from Louisiana Tech

Hailey Adams, Rice, 6-1 redshirt senior guard from Clark HS

Delaney Arredondo, Nevada, 5-5 freshman guard from Judson HS

Cora Bennett, Grand Canyon, 6-2 freshman forward from Kingdom Collegiate Academy and Judson HS

Bella Flemings, Duke, 6-0 freshman guard from Brennan HS

Rian Forestier, Southern Cal, 5-11 junior guard from Brandeis HS

Layla Conley, Rice, 5-8 senior guard from Harlan HS

Mia Hammonds, UTSA, 6-3 junior guard from Steele HS

Kristian Hieskill, Tarleton State, 5-11 freshman guard from Steele HS

Natalie Huff, Southeastern Louisiana, 5-7 redshirt sophomore guard from Clark HS

A’Maya Holton, Incarnate Word, 6-0 sophomore forward from East Central HS, transfer from Oral Roberts

Ne’Talya Hurst, Southeastern Louisiana, 5-11 freshman guard/forward from Steele HS

Madison Hurta, Houston Christian, 5-9 junior guard from New Braunfels (home school)

Vivian Iwuchukwu, Florida, 6-3 junior forward from Cole HS, Montverde Academy, transfer from Southern Cal

Kayla King, Houston, 5-10 sophomore guard from Judson HS

Kalysta Martin, North Texas, 6-2 junior guard from Providence HS, transfer from Texas Tech

Jordan Pete, Lamar, 5-6 freshman guard from Sotomayor HS

Aysia Proctor, Purdue, 5-8 senior guard from Clemens HS, transfer from North Texas, also UTSA

Mia Ramos, Southeastern Louisiana, 5-7 sophomore guard from Brandeis

Aaliyah Roberson, Alabama, 6-2 senior forward from Clark HS, transfer from TCU

Arianna Roberson, Duke, 6-4 redshirt sophomore center from Clark HS

Taylor Ross, UTSA, 6-1 redshirt sophomore forward from Brennan HS

Yasmeen Schmidt, Grand Canyon, 5-11 freshman guard from Cornerstone Christian

LA Sneed, Oklahoma State, 5-6 sophomore guard from Wagner HS, transfer from Utah

Endia Stigall, Incarnate Word, 5-5 freshman guard from Hays HS

Sammie Wagner, San Diego, 6-1 guard/forward from Reagan HS, transfer from Oregon

Sedelia Wilson-Larkin, Incarnate Word, 6-0 sophomore forward from Saint Mary’s Hall

Carleigh Wenzel, Virginia Tech, 6-0 graduate student guard from Antonian HS, O’Connor HS

Forward Arianna Roberson from Clark High School and guard Bella Flemings (from Brennan) are set to return to San Antonio next week. Roberson, Flemings and the fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils will take on the North Texas Mean Green at 1 p.m. on Nov. 8 in The Foundry Classic at the Frost Bank Center. Guard Kalysta Martin (from Providence) plays for North Texas.

The list: San Antonio-area athletes in D-I men’s basketball

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The NCAA Division I basketball season opens Sunday in Rome, Italy, when Notre Dame takes on Villanova in the Eternal City Tipoff.

Tipoff is at 8:30 a.m. on Fox if you are tuning in from San Antonio.

Teams around the nation will play nonconference schedules for a couple of months, followed by league play running through early March. Followed, naturally, by the now 76-team NCAA tournament.

Before the first ball bounces on the hardwood, I wanted to take a minute to spotlight D-I men’s players from San Antonio area high schools.

If I’ve missed anybody, I’ll update the list when the information comes to light.

But, for now, here’s my list:

NCAA Division I men from San Antonio

Donovan Criss, UTEP, 6-5 freshman guard from Brennan HS

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Minnesota, 6-8 senior forward from Warren HS, previously at Colorado State, Arkansas-Little Rock

Kendrick De Luna, Cal-State Fullerton, a 6-10 senior forward from TMI Episcopal

Damarion Dennis, Texas Tech, 6-1 junior guard from Veterans Memorial, transfer from Wyoming, previously at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Christian Green, Stephen F. Austin, 6-6 senior guard/forward from Veterans Memorial HS, previously, Trinity University

Amare Guerra, Merrimack College, Mass., 5-10 freshman guard from Antonian Prep

Kaden Gumbs, Texas State, 6-2 senior guard from San Marcos HS

Latrell Hoover, Texas Tech, 6-11 redshirt freshman forward from Clemens HS

Vincent Iwuchukwu, Georgetown, 7-1 senior center, formerly of Cole HS

Austin Nunez, LSU, 6-2 senior guard from Wagner HS, transfer from UTSA, previously at Arizona State, Mississippi

Aidan Richard, Holy Cross, 6-7 junior forward from Reagan HS

Delano Tarpley, UTEP, 6-11 freshman center from Brennan HS

Isaiah Ward, UTEP, 6-6 freshman forward from Brennan HS

Elijah Williams, Baylor, 6-5 freshman forward from TMI Episcopal

(Local athletes who played in high school outside the San Antonio area)

Zach Clemence, Texas A&M, 6-11 graduate student forward, native San Antonian from Sunrise Academy, Kan.; previously at Kansas University

Editors’ note: Look for the list of athletes from San Antonio in NCAA Division I women’s hoops on Saturday.

UTSA’s Nick Bowman steps into a role as acting head coach

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The acting head coach of the UTSA men’s basketball program on Thursday expressed confidence in his ability to lead the team into Monday’s season opener at San Jose State.

For Nick Bowman, it’ll be an emotional moment as he steps in for suspended head coach Austin Claunch.

“I feel confident,” Bowman said. “We have a team of really, really good guys. Really, really good kids and good players, and more than that, we have a (coaching) staff of great men.”

UTSA assistant Nick Bowman has been elevated to acting head coach as the Roadrunners prepare for their season opener at San Jose State. – Courtesy photo

Claunch was arrested by Corpus Christi police at 6:07 a.m. Tuesday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. The third-year coach of the Roadrunners spent 13 hours at the Nueces County jail before his release at 7:05 p.m., a county spokeswoman said.

After Claunch ran a practice Wednesday at UTSA afternoon, the university announced the arrest and the suspension a few hours later.

In a news release, athletic director Dr. Lisa Campos said that Bowman would move up from his assistant’s role to be the acting head coach as the situation is reviewed.

Bowman, an Ohio native, has known Claunch for almost a dozen years and has worked on his staff at both Nicholls State (La.) and UTSA.

He seemed at ease as he discussed the situation with the team in a telephone interview Thursday afternoon.

Bowman said everyone in the building is leaning on each other.

“I’ve leaned on the team and leaned on the staff and tried to support them, really, with whatever I can do to help them be as comfortable as they can be as we open our season on Monday on the road,” Bowman said.

The coach said he met with several players individually Thursday morning but won’t see them as a group until Thursday night.

In initial meetings, Bowman said he told players that the Roadrunners won’t change anything.

“I just told them, in my mind, our style is our style,” he said. “We’re not one player and we’re not one coach. Obviously, coach Claunch is the leader, and he guides this program.

“But from a basketball standpoint, from a style of play standpoint, the guys know what we want to do. They know what we are trying to achieve every time we step out there.”

Coming off a 4-25 record last year, the Roadrunners have revamped the roster with 14 new players, heavy on shot-making and playmaking guards.

“We’ve had a great preseason, and I think what we’ve been able to do this summer and this fall, is to really develop the identity that coach Claunch has wanted to develop since he got here,” he said. “This group more than the previous two have bought into that. And so we’re just going to play UTSA basketball on Monday.”

Asked to describe the overall mood of the players, Bowman said, “I don’t know if I have an overall mood, but I think the players care deeply about coach Claunch. So the word I would use is just supportive. They’re supportive.”

The Roadrunners have posted a 16-44 record in the past two years, including 4-25 last season. Now with the uncertainty surrounding Claunch, Bowman fielded a question on what he would tell the fans, and he said to tell them the coaches remain excited about the program’s upside.

“We think we have made a lot of progress in this offseason with this team that we’ve put together,” he said. “We are incredibly excited about the 14 new players that have come in. We’re excited about our returner, Dorian Hayes. We feel like we have a balanced non-conference schedule, and it feels like a lot of work in previous years is about to really pay off for us.”

UTSA forward Ashton Smith will not play in the opener, a team spokesman said in a text Friday afternoon.

However, Smith may be getting close to a return after working his way back from an Achilles injury.

The 6-9, 265-pound forward ran hard and even dunked in Wednesday’s practice, but he did not participate in five on five.

The transfer from South Dakota is the grandson of the late Lucious Jackson, a San Marcos native who played on an NBA championship Philadelphia 76ers team with Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s.

UTSA suspends men’s basketball coach Austin Claunch following his arrest on suspicion of DWI

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Editors’ note: This story was updated at 11:51 a.m. on Thursday

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA men’s basketball coach Austin Claunch has been suspended by the university effective Wednesday following his arrest Tuesday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated (DWI).

Austin Claunch. UTSA men's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, at the practice facility. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Austin Claunch ran practice on Wednesday prior to the announcement that he had been suspended by the university. – Photo by Joe Alexander

School officials are reviewing the circumstances and will determine appropriate next steps, including the length of his suspension, the release said.

Assistant coach Nick Bowman will serve as acting head coach during his absence. UTSA opens its season on Monday at San Jose State, the first of eight games for the Roadrunners in November.

The 36-year-old Claunch is coming off a disastrous 4-25 season and is 16-44 in two years as UTSA’s coach. Momentum for the program had ticked up since last spring with the addition of 14 new players in a 15-man roster.

UTSA’s play in preseason had been promising as the team had shown the ability to score in a fast-pace attack. The Roadrunners forged a 2-1 record in three preseason scrimmages, including an 85-73 win at Incarnate Word last weekend.

“UTSA Athletics holds its coaches, staff, and student-athletes to high standards of conduct and accountability,” the university’s release said. “We take this matter seriously and will address it in accordance with university policies and procedures.”

The statement included a comment attributed to Claunch, who apologized for “a grave error” in judgment.

“I deeply regret my actions and the disappointment I have caused,” he said. “I sincerely apologize to the young men I have the privilege of coaching, my fellow coaches and colleagues, President (Taylor) Eighmy, Dr. Lisa Campos and the entire Roadrunner community.

“I recognize the responsibility that comes with being a head coach and the example I am expected to set, both on and off the court. I fell short of those expectations, and for that, I am truly sorry.

“I take full responsibility for my decisions and am committed to learning from this experience and earning back the trust and confidence of those who have placed their faith in me.”

Claunch was arrested by Corpus Christi police at 6:12 a.m. Tuesday, a Nueces County spokeswoman said.

He was booked into Nueces County jail and released later in the day at 7:05 p.m., the spokeswoman added.

By Wednesday afternoon, he was back in San Antonio coaching the team and later was interviewed by the media at the practice facility. A few hours later, UTSA announced the arrest and the suspension in a release sent out on email.

According to information published in the wake of Claunch’s hire in the spring of 2024, he has three years remaining on a five-year contract. The deal runs through March 31, 2029.

In August of 2024, the UT System Board of Regents published details of the contract, which included possible annual compensation “in excess” of $1 million.

His base salary was listed at $400,000 annually, supplemented by $150,000 for media and fundraising appearances and a bonus package worth up to $500,000, according to the document.

UTSA men win two of three scrimmages leading into a new season

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10 Preston Turner. UTSA men's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, at the practice facility. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Eastern Illinois transfer Preston Turner scored 23 points in a closed scrimmage Sunday against Incarnate Word – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Preparing to open the season Monday in California against the San Jose State Spartans, a revamped UTSA men’s basketball team has generated confidence and momentum coming out of three closed scrimmages.

Roadrunners third-year coach Austin Claunch said Wednesday that he’s “fired up” to tip off the season after playing Division I programs each of the past three weekends, winning two and losing one.

32 Ashton Smith. UTSA men's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, at the practice facility. - Photo by Joe Alexander

The playing status of power forward Ashton Smith is uncertain leading into Monday’s opener at San Jose State. The 6-9, 265-pound native Texan from the Houston area practiced Wednesday but sat out a segment of five-on-five scrimmage at the end. – Photo by Joe Alexander

From the start of official practice to the scrimmages, the coach said his team has played “really good” basketball.

“These guys have done a great job establishing the identity of what we want our program to be about and how we want to play,” Claunch said.

On top of that, the coach said it’s just a “fun group” to work with on a daily basis.

Over the past three weeks, UTSA opened with a pair of neutral site scrimmages, losing the opener to the UTEP Miners before bouncing back to rout the New Mexico State Aggies.

With Preston Turner scoring 23 points and JJ Kelly 18, the Roadrunners closed with an 85-73 victory on Sunday at the University of the Incarnate Word.

Turner, a 6-6 guard transfer from Eastern Illinois, said it felt good to see his shot start to fall.

“Coach drew up a play to get us going in the second half. (We) came out and executed it and hit the shot,” said Turner, from Ellsinore, Mo. “From there, it started warming up. (I) just started letting it fly.”

Notable

UTSA held a practice open to the media on Wednesday and unveiled its new 15-man roster, working for more than two hours at the Basketball and Volleyball Training Center.

During the practice, 6-foot point guard Josiah LeGree stood out with his aggression, athleticism and both his playmaking and shot-making ability.

Power forward Ashton Smith, recovering from Achilles surgery, ran up and down in most of the drills and dunked a few times.

Smith, originally a Texas A&M recruit out of the Houston area Legacy School of Sport Sciences, sat out at the end when the team engaged in full-on, five-on-five action.

It remains uncertain whether the 6-foot-9, 265-pound transfer from South Dakota will be allowed to play when UTSA opens its 46th season on Monday.

November schedule
(UTSA men’s basketball)
2 – UTSA at San Jose State, 2 p.m.
7 – VMI at UTSA, 4 p.m.
11 – UTSA at Seattle, 9 p.m.
15 – Texas State at UTSA, 7 p.m.
18 – Florida A&M at UTSA, 7 p.m.
21 – Air Force at UTSA, 4 p.m.
26 – Army at UTSA, 11 a.m.
29 – UTSA at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, 3 p.m.

1 JJ Kelly. UTSA men's basketball practice on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, at the practice facility. - Photo by Joe Alexander

University of Ohio transfer JJ Kelley, a 6-6 guard, scored 18 points Sunday against Incarnate Word. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Linton’s return sparks optimism in UTSA women’s basketball camp

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Maya Linton. UTSA beat North Texas 54-52 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Maya Linton returns for her fifth year at UTSA after sitting out last season with a knee injury. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA fifth-year senior guard Maya Linton caught the ball off the right baseline, pulled up and popped.

Her mid-range jumper thwacked against the backside of the iron and redirected toward the bottom of the net, where it nestled home for two points.

As play continued last Thursday in an up-and-down practice at the new Basketball and Volleyball Training Center, a team of men competing against the Roadrunners’ women pushed the pace in the other direction and misfired on a shot of their own.

Idara Udo. Top-seeded UTSA lost to ninth-seeded Rice 62-58 in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on Monday, March 10, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Idara Udo says Maya Linton has worked hard to improve her jump shot. – File photo by Joe Alexander

With the ball coming off the iron, Linton slashed inside to snare the defensive board. The women, as a result, were off to the races the other way. Eventually, the ball swung around to the left corner, where Linton had spotted up beyond the 3-point line.

Swish.

It was an eye-opening sequence for a few media members who came out to watch the open session. Since Linton arrived at UTSA in 2022, she has been known as one of the most tenacious defensive players on the team, perhaps in all of the American Conference, but not much of a scorer.

And now? Exactly what can fans expect to see from her after she sat out her fourth season on campus in knee rehabilitation? Hopefully, an improved player who will bring loads of experience to the team.

“I don’t want to be biased,” UTSA senior forward Idara Udo said. “But Maya’s a dawg on defense. Everyone knows that. Just the way she can move. The way she can pressure the ball. And the way she can make plays on defense, is something that a lot of teams don’t have.

“I think people look to her as a defensive player. But Maya has been in the gym a lot and has worked on her 3-point shot. She’s worked on her reads. Her ball handling. So I think Maya’s one of the best when it comes to defense, for sure.”

Linton can’t remember exactly when she injured her knee. But she said she started to feel that something was wrong near the end of her junior year in 2024-25, when the Roadrunners won the American’s regular season title.

For Linton, who played in high school at both Timber Creek and Duncanville in the DFW area, it was an emotional time.

Joyous in that she was a full-time starter and that the team had finished first in the American at 17-1 and 26-5 overall. But, a little nervous in not knowing what would happen in the offseason.

Looking back, she said she feels like she was “definitely” playing near the end of the year with the injury.

“But it’s the kind of thing, when you love basketball, you’re going to go through it,” she said. “And, also, we were winning. So you kind of put that (pain) in the back of your mind. You got to deal with it at the end of the season, and that’s what I did.”

Karen Aston. UTSA women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Karen Aston welcomes the return of both Maya Linton and Taylor Ross, who both suffered injuries and sat out all of last season. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Linton said a postseason medical exam revealed that the anterior cruciate ligament was almost completely torn, leading to a surgery done in the first week of April.

“They told me that if I would keep playing (on it) that it would probably blow out at any minute,” she said. “So I went ahead and got the surgery just as a precaution.”

It was the start of a difficult offseason for the Roadrunners. By fall camp, forwards Taylor Ross and Sema Udo also suffered leg injuries. In all, between six or seven players were unavailable at various times during the season.

Remarkably, the Roadrunners pulled it together in March and stormed to the American’s postseason title, earning a trip to the NCAA tournament.

During the season, Linton attacked rehabilitation aggressively. Part of it was the agonizing work on strengthening the knee. Part of it was on-court drills. Like, just shooting the ball.

Even though she felt supported by the coaches and her teammates, at the same time, she also acknowledged that it was tough on her personally, not being able to contribute on the court.

“It was sad, honestly, for me,” Linton said. “But seeing how my teammates did, I was very, very proud of them. I was trying to be the best teammate I could be. The (previous) year I was a starter, winning all the time.

“But that wasn’t the case last year. So, I had to take on new roles and responsibilities. Just, to be the best teammate I could be on the sideline.”

Sema Udo has yet to return to practice, still working through her rehabilitation. But Linton and Ross are ready to go for the start of the coming season. UTSA coach Karen Aston said the addition of the two will supply a boost.

“I’m super excited about Taylor,” Aston said. “She probably doesn’t know that because I’m on her all the time. But Taylor has a lot of versatility.

“When I watch her, I have to remind myself that her and Maya didn’t play at all last year. Sometimes when I get frustrated, I’m like, well, there’s this learning curve coming back and playing again. They’re both in that right now.

“But I would expect that, barring a setback of any kind with those two, we’ll look a lot different in January than we do right now. They’re getting used to playing basketball again.”

Linton said she is enjoying the grind of practice once again, readying for a new season.

“It feels great,” she said. “Feels like I’ve been gone for so long. You know, (my teammates), they just make it all worthwhile, coming back. To be able to do the things I love with the people I love, just makes it amazing. I’m happy.”

Taylor Ross. The UTSA women's basketball team beat St. Mary's 90-38 in an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sophomore forward Taylor Ross is expected to play a prominent role for the Roadrunners, who have won back-to-back titles in the American. The standout from San Antonio Brennan High School is a skilled post player who can step out and shoot from the perimeter. – File photo by Joe Alexander.

Baseball takes the field for the annual UTSA Fall World Series

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Caden Miller. UTSA baseball fall series Game 2 at Roadrunner Field on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Caden Miller and the UTSA Roadrunners have played two games of the annual fall World Series, with the finale set for Sunday at 1 p.m. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Aidan Eshelman. UTSA baseball fall series Game 2 at Roadrunner Field on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Infielder Aidan Eshelman steps to the plate during Saturday’s second game of the three-game fall World Series. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Christian Hallmark. UTSA baseball fall series Game 2 at Roadrunner Field on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Outfielder Christian Hallmark played a key role last spring in the Roadrunners charge to a tie for first in the American Conference. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Jordan Ballin. UTSA baseball fall series Game 2 at Roadrunner Field on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Junior infielder Jordan Ballin, from Boerne Champion High School, has hit .313 with a .509 on base percentage in two years with the Roadrunners. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Aston feels the momentum leading into a new season

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Idara Udo. UTSA beat North Texas 66-64 in American Conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Idara Udo is a preseason first-team, all-conference player in the American. The 6-foot-1 senior will have help in the frontcourt this season with one player who stands 6-7 and two more 6-3. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Sixth-year UTSA coach Karen Aston said Thursday that her program is riding as much momentum as it’s ever had leading into a new season.

UTSA coach Karen Aston has led her team to national tournaments three years in a row. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Two years ago, the Roadrunners surged to a school-record 26 victories and a 17-1 record to win the American Conference regular-season title. Last year, they won another championship, but it came with a twist.

They entered the conference tournament under the radar, seeded sixth, and in the type of surprise that can only materialize in March, the Roadrunners steamrolled with an eight-player rotation to four wins in four days to seize the American’s postseason crown.

UTSA finished 18-16 with an opening-round, NCAA tournament loss to the Connecticut Huskies.

Now, 15 days before a Nov. 6 season opener at UNLV, Aston acknowledged that her players seem more suited than last year’s group to deal with the pressure of heightened expectations.

“It’s nice to come off another situation where we get a ring,” she said after practice Thursday at the Basketball and Volleyball Training Center. “I think that … has motivated this group in a different way maybe than it did last year’s group.

“Again, I couldn’t really feel like, could I give that group last year the pressure of, ‘You just won a championship. What are you going to do with this year?’

“I feel like this is a group I can do that with. I feel like they’re OK with – I don’t want to call it pressure – but an expectation. They seem a lot more comfortable with that.

“So yes, to answer your question, there is more momentum with this group.”

Last year’s team entered the fall non-conference portion of the schedule sort of shell-shocked by a rash of offseason injuries. Maya Linton had been sidelined all summer.

In the weeks leading into the season, Taylor Ross and Sema Udo also went down with season-ending leg injuries, bringing to seven the number of scholarship athletes who were unavailable to play the season opener at Texas Tech.

Linton, like Ross and Udo, never returned and sat out all 34 games.

Praise Egharevba at UTSA women's basketball practice on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Oklahoma State transfer Praise Egharevba, with a strong summer and fall, is making a case to start in the frontcourt. – File photo by Joe Alexander

This week, the UTSA women have practiced with 13 athletes, including Linton and Ross, who both look to be in good shape to play the opening months of the new year.

UTSA assistant Cameron Miles said Tuesday night that it’s “refreshing” to be able to practice with a team at near full capacity, as opposed to last fall, when he and some other assistants were thrown into the workouts just to have enough people to complete all the drills.

“You can play ‘em against each other,” Miles said. “You can rotate ‘em around. Use different lineups. We couldn’t do stuff like that last year. Again, they’re so big. We can manipulate ‘em all over the place. Taylor Ross is playing the three some here and there. I think it’s going to be fun. We’ve got a lot of tools.”

Aston said she thinks she could play as many as 10 players in the season-opening road games at UNLV and San Diego State.

To illustrate the depth on the roster this fall, when the team started work on Tuesday afternoon, it had six players on one side of the floor in a center-power forward group and seven on the other end, in a cluster of point guards and wings.

Miles said he has been impressed lately with the progress of 6-foot-7 sophomore Emily Hunter.

“Like, I’ve never had a hammer, like a 6-7 hammer,” he said. “Just to open up my tool box and say, ‘Get the 6-7 kid off the bench.’ It’s going to be fun. (Emily) is learning the way we coach. The way Karen wants it to be (done). She’s learning. She had a great week this week. This was a big week for her.”

Aston said she has eight players in contention to start on opening night, declining to name names.

But, quite possibly, the starters might be returning senior Idara Udo and newcomer Praise Egharevba in the front court, with Mia Hammonds on the wing and Damara Allen and Adriana Robles in the backcourt.

Once again, the coach declined to speculate too much on how good the team can be in March, though she did indicate that it might be as good defensively as any she’s coached at UTSA.

Armed with a frontcourt featuring players standing 6-7, 6-3 and 6-3, and wings that range from 6-3 and 5-11 to 5-10, the Roadrunners are blessed with length to disrupt the opposing team in a number of ways.

“I wouldn’t say we have necessarily figured ourselves out yet,” Aston said. “There’s too many new faces … But as I said before and I will continue to say, I really like the potential of this group.”

Notable

Three athletes on UTSA’s 16-player roster are dealing with injuries and haven’t practiced this week, including forward Sema Udo and guards Bhret Clay and Rihyana Kinsey. Clay is out for the season.